Online tool finds £84,800 in unclaimed benefits

An online tool has identified more than £84,800 in unclaimed benefits since it went live in January, a local authority has said.

Peterborough City Council said its Better Off Calculator, which enabled people to check their benefit eligibility, found 68 households that were entitled to support.

The benefits ranged from universal credit, pension credit to carer's allowance and warm homes discount.

Zameer Ali, the authority's cabinet member for communities, poverty and public health, said: "This is an excellent start for a campaign aiming to alert those residents who might not be aware of the benefits to which they're entitled.

"In 2026 and beyond we will be trying to help people become more financially resilient where possible, but we recognise that there are some individuals and households who might need help and we want to enable that."

A third of those that were now claiming benefits since using the online tool had never claimed any benefits before.

A report by the analytics company, Policy in Practice, estimated there may be about 31,000 people across Peterborough that were entitled to unclaimed benefits they have not yet claimed.

The council has also launched a new three-year crisis resilience fund (CRF) to help families and individuals become more financially stable in the longer-term.

The CRF, which will go live in April, will also provide emergency assistance for people who were in short-term financial crisis.

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